Monday, June 14, 2010


I had a chance to see the Sistine Chapel in person a few years back. I remember learning about it in school, how great it is, how long it took Michelangelo to paint, all of that great stuff. But was it really that impressive? In the Vatican's Art Museum, every door has a sign that read, "This way to the Sistine Chapel". It got old after a while. You think that it's right around the corner, but it's not. You have to go through a very large and extensive collection of art before reaching the chapel. And the art is quite exquisite. You see thousands of pieces of beautiful paintings, sculptures and ceilings. There were plenty of other amazing ceilings that I kept thinking, "Is the Sistine Chapel really so much better? What makes it so special?" I really wasn't expecting much.

As I neared the chapel, I was tired of seeing continuous pieces of art and I was getting kind of bored. I walked in the room and saw hundreds of people staring straight up with their mouths gaped open. I finally looked up and I mirrored every other person in that room. I was stunned at the beauty and vastness of what was before me. It wasn't just the ceiling that was beautiful, but the entire room was a painting! It was so beautiful. I could have stayed there for hours. Every piece of the the ceiling and walls were different Bible stories. But at the center was the most famous part of the chapel.

Adam, who is a representation of Man, seems bothered to even be looking at the Father. His entire body is facing away from God. His hand is barely outstretched towards the Lover of his soul. The Father is nearly falling off of His cloud to reach His beloved. If Adam simply raises his finger, he would be in contact with the Everlasting. But he is not impressed and doesn't seem to care.

It is a heartbreaking picture of man, and a beautiful representation of the Father's love. Not that I have achieved perfection, but I no longer feel like Adam. I want the Lord. I know He wants me more than I want Him, but there is nothing that makes me want to turn my head away from Him.

Psalm 73:25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

Recently, I have been learning the heartache that so many pastors feel. I have seen people I dearly love just not get the whole picture of the Father's love. I have been ministering to a lot of Adam's. I don't know what to do except to love them. I cannot change them. I leave conviction of sin and revelation to the Holy Spirit. I'm not trying to change them. I know that is fruitless. All I can do is love them and encourage them. There are times I need to be firm, but only when love is behind it.

God's love is furious. I have been praying that I would have His heart for people. I grew up as a bully and always making fun of people who were different. These thoughts still haunt me. Even if I don't act on it, I instantly see the different in people. I have been praying that God would help me see His heart in others before seeing anything else. He has been answering that prayer.....and it's breaking my heart.

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